Shorouk Express 
Spain’s crucial yet controversial mass tourism model is projected to continue to grow next year, with new data showing an increase in bookings by foreign holidaymakers for Christmas and the start of 2026.
Spain is already, and has been for some time, the second-most visited country in the world just behind France, yet numbers are forecast to continue growing next year.
According to Amadeus tourism intelligence data, there will be a 4 percent year-on-year increase in international tourist arrivals to Spain between November 2025 and February 2026.
Madrid is projected to see a 12 percent year-on-year increase in tourism numbers, followed by Barcelona with 9 percent and then Malaga with 3 percent.
Spain is also heading into next year with a 7 percent increase in hotel room bookings compared to last year, as visitors are booking earlier and international demand is growing.
READ ALSO: Spain welcomes record 22.3 million summer tourists
Air capacity is also projected to grow between January and June 2026. Available seats on international flights to Spain are expected to increase by a total 7 percent compared to the same period last year, with 8 percent more connections from the United States.
The United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, and the Netherlands account for the majority of these routes.
Many tourism experts, as well as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expected that Spain would reach a milestone of 100 million international visitors this year, drawing level with France in 2025, but by the end of this summer it looked unlikely that this would be reached.
Spain is on track to close 2025 with close to 97 million international tourists, according to data from the National Institute of Statistic’s (INE) Frontur and Egatur surveys.
READ ALSO – Americans’ crush on Spain: 70% of US tourists plan to visit in next three years
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Nevertheless, the National Statistics Institute said that a record breaking 11 million international tourists arrived in July this year, largely driven by British, French and German holidaymakers.
Spain saw record-high arrivals from the UK this year and according to Spanish Tourist Office director general Miguel Sanz, that number is expected to grow again in 2026.
Although tourism is continuing to grow in Spain, it has seen a sharp slowdown, driven by weaker spending power by European and US visitors, as well as the rise in costs.
This means that tourism experts believe it’s unlikely that Spain will reach 100 million visitors in 2026 either.
READ ALSO: Spain posts new tourism record but shows signs of slowdown
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This will be good news for many locals who have held several anti-tourism protests in the last few years, mainly blaming tourists for the increase in house prices due to the proliferation of Airbnb-style accommodation, as well as more crowding.
The places that have been protesting the most and where overtourism is at its worst are in Barcelona, the Canary Islands, the Balearics and Málaga, yet anti-tourism movements have also been seen in some other cities including San Sebastián and Seville.
As a result, the Spanish tourism office has actively been trying to encourage visitors to travel to other, lesser-known parts of Spain.
“We want you travellers to come in the summer for the sun and beach destinations, but we also want them to come at other times of the year to discover the rest of the country,” Sanz told travel industry online magazine TTG Media.
READ ALSO: Political party in Spain calls for fewer tourists at Valencia’s Fallas festival
